Framework for conflict analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Framework for conflict analysis - Essay Example During the late 90s, a transfer of power in the Kremlin saw the emergence of Vladimir Putin as the head of the State. At about the same time, the tension in Chechnya began to simmer with the repeated skirmishes involving Chechen militants, who had now begun to target people in the neighboring Russian republics (John Russell, 2007). The Situation in Chechnya can be attributed to a similar situation in Africa, where smaller states have been trying to break off from bigger powers. Russia on the other hand, has always resorted to mass bombings and oppressive techniques to keep the region under its control. In doing so, Russia has violated several international conventions in areas such as Human rights, which has added to the animosity within the Chechen population (Bruno Coppieters, 2002). Additionally, it it is the Chechen civilians who have borne the brunt of this long period of oppression and it is thus quite natural for them to rebel any perceived occupation. Since the inception of the Soviet Union, Stalin was of the view that western powers were colluding to overthrow the communists. In doing so, he always viewed the Chechens as collaborators and deported them to Kazakhstan in order to prevent any mass uprising. With Stalin’s death, the Chechens were allowed to return to their homeland. This has been one of the main contribution that has helped keep Chechen nationalism active. Russia began to offensive in 1999 through a massive air campaign which began with the eviction of separatists from the neighboring republic of Dagestan. This was followed by a massive land offensive that consisted of shelling and ground troops. The Chechen rebels launched their fight from the mountains and resorted to Guerilla warfare. They mingled in the local population and carried out surprise attacks on the advancing Russian troops. However, this made

Anishinabi Clan System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anishinabi Clan System - Essay Example These people are also interrelated with a help of any kind of kinship – internal or external. In some cultures the representatives of the clan should be the relatives, they speak about the close and far, internal and external relationships, among their family members the representative of the clan under the study will enumerate all the known relatives; in this system each person had a specific name like the sibling of same gender was named niikaanis. So, we can say that the clan system is not a brand new thing in our world, but the clan system of Anishinabi is very peculiar. During our classes we studied the cultural, religious and historical features of the American clan system. So, let’s take a close look at the peculiarities of the Anishinabi clan. The history of our society knows a lot of examples of the people’s unions, one of which is the clan system. There is not much information about the Anishinabis, but we can find enough to study their clan system. This is the group of people that lives in the North America. It was one of many Algonquian-speaking groups that inhabited this part of the continent now it is the last one that remained. The native inhabitants used to call this land the Turtle Island and created their myths around their native land. These people preserve their culture and traditions with a help of inter-tribal marriages and relations. The Anishinaabe clan incorporates the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Algonquin people, who inhabit the lands of the modern Ontario state. They are related by their traditions and language. To the point, we also have to mention that the whole clan was, and still is, divided into five main groups named: th e Bimaawidaasi, the Giishkizhigwan, the Nooke, the Baswenaazhi and finally the Bemaangik. Originally the whole nation was divided into so-called odoodeman which equals the modern understanding of clans and groups. Each group had its own ruler who was also

Family Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family Study - Essay Example Immediately after a wedding, couples would show substantial commitment towards these vows. However, circumstances may change along the journey of a marriage. One partner may develop negative habits and even abusive behavior towards the other partner. In addition, one partner may experience deteriorating health; hence dimming the hope of married couples. Today, such worsening situations often call for divorce, which in this case constitutes breaking of the wedding vows. Personally, I believe that divorce is not necessary. Wedding vows are synonymous to oaths of duty. Soldiers swear to protect their nation even if protection calls for sacrifice of one’s life. Similarly, marriage vows, especially the one saying, ‘for better or for worse’ should possess its traditional meaning throughout the relationship. The willingness to commit oneself into a marriage should not depend on prevailing circumstances. I believe each of the committed partners is cognizant of the fact that the world is not perfect. Individuals have strengths and weaknesses. Also; love, companionship and forgiveness are the essential pillars of marriage, which are explicitly expressed in form of wedding vows (Keller, 32). In this regard, I am of the opinion that marriage relationships should be permanent. Inasmuch as I discredit divorce in marriages, I believe that crossing certain boundaries necessitates separation between couples. Morally, most societies and religions regard marriage as a sacred covenant. Married couple must remain loyal and faithful to one another. However, these moral platforms assert that lack of faithfulness cannot be tolerated. Nowadays, couples dissolve their marriages for slights reasons like financial insecurity, psychological dissatisfaction and for selfish pursuit of self-centered pleasures (Keller, 34). Such slight reasons are not

Total Rewards versus performance Essay Example for Free

Total Rewards versus performance Essay The aim of this report is to advice to, the Director of human resources at Midland Credit Management (MCM) a US based debt collection company, on the effectiveness of total rewards strategy in context to organisational performance though attracting, retaining and motivating intellectual  capital. This is achieved through the analysis of a total rewards function which is broken-up in to six segments total rewards defined, element of total rewards, model of total rewards, its organisational advantages and its linkage with organisational performance. Firstly, this report explains the meaning and objectives of total rewards and then describes the elements i.e. transactional and relational rewards. A model of total rewards is followed which portrays financial and non-financial tenets as well as individual and communal aspects of strategic reward. Further it covers the advantages provided to an organisation for the purpose of attaining competitive advantage on recruitment, development of performance management and integration between human resource strategies and business goals. Lastly, the impact of total rewards strategy is evaluated in terms of physiological contract with an employee. It includes the theory of motivation, employee commitment and engagement that culminates a sense of responsibility, respect, trust and personal growth, which increased individual performance and business goals are achieved by creating a performance culture. Thus, a successful total rewards strategy pays for the value individuals bring in an organisation with a wide range of financial and non-financial rewards which helps them to perform effectively and achieve competitive edge for the organisation. Total rewards defined 1.1. Introduction: In the era of globalisation/internationalisation people management has become a significant task for human resource (HR) unit. At present, in rapidly changing and competitive business environment, the role of self-motivated, engaged, skilled and committed employees is increasingly remarkable to achieve business goals and competitive advantage. Performance management and reward strategy are the key element to directly influence individual’s performance and ultimately organisational effectiveness within the industry. In recent year several internal and external factors, competitive business environment and developments in the field of reward management has introduced a different and most influential term called total reward. 1.2. Meaning: Strategic reward can be considered as an approach to the improvement and execution of reward schemes that validates their incorporation and clutch with the business strategy and other HR strategies and that they are in connection with other reward strategies for the benefit  of both employees as well as organisation. According to Armstrong and Murlis (1998) the essence of this notion of total reward is to manage reward policies in a way that considers the various components together to support one another to maximise employment satisfaction with the result of their performance. Brown (2001) suggests that strategic reward is a way of thinking and can be applied to any reward matter occurring in organisation to make out how one can create value from it. A reward scheme directly influences the level of motivation, satisfaction that leads to employee engagement and commitment towards organisational goals. 1.3. Objectives/aims: The aim of reward strategy is to produce a sensible purpose and guidance and foundation of improving reward policies, experiences and process. It is considered as a base to acknowledge and satisfy employees’ as well as organisation’s needs. According to Sibson Consulting (2009) the aims of a total rewards strategy can be determined as follows:- coerce business success by attracting talent, engagement and retention; Guide investment decisions for the employer while enabling informed choices for the employee; Clarify the employer-employee relationship; Build a distinctive employment brand; Increase the return on rewards and create value for the enterprise; Integrate reward and HR policies and processes; Align reward processes to business needs; Provide guidance for reward system design and implementation. 2. Elements of total rewards Total reward is an effective section of a reward system and emphasises to think about all facets of employment experience of value to employees instead of remuneration and employee benefits. The concept of total rewards identifies the necessity of getting paid appropriately in terms of pay and benefits and also encourages the significance of rewarding people for the work they performed, managed and developed in their work environment. It further adds to the performance of an employee value intention that provides an obvious, gripping cause that attracts capable workforce to remain with the organisation. The components of total rewards are shown in Figure 1.0. Figure 1.0 Elements of total rewards. The principle of total rewards mingles with two effective categories of reward as discussed below (Armstrong, 2007): 2.1. Transactional rewards: These are tangible rewards and more of financial offerings and occur from transactions between employer and employees in relation to remuneration and pay-out. Such rewards can be imitable by competitors and offered to individual employees in form of base pay, contingent pay and other employee benefits. These rewards are of extrinsic nature. 2.2. Relational rewards: Such rewards intangible (non-financial) and are related to work conditions i.e. quality of working life, the work, work-life balance, recognition, performance management and learning and development. These rewards are necessary to enhance transactional rewards and differ in different organisations as they can’t be easily copies. As described above total rewards system is a blend of monetary and non-monetary rewards offered to employees that can result in valuable business success in long term. Total rewards approach is a holistic insight of entire reward system to establish incorporation of reward elements in order to drive them so that they jointly support to achieve overall efficiency of reward system. Each component of rewards is sough in a way so that they integrate each other in all ways so that employees can be rewarded and have a sense of satisfaction from their work. A total rewards strategy is structured and joint together so that it can maximise the associated effect of various reward projects for employee motivation, commitment and job engagement. 3. Model of total rewards: Towers Perrin The effective component of total rewards can be concisely presented in the Towers Perrin model of total rewards shown in Figure 2.0. This is commonly used as foundation for the purpose of planning a total rewards approach. It includes of an environment with four quadrants. The upper two quadrants- pay and benefits those represent transactional or tangible (financial) rewards. These are financial rewards are mandatory recruitment and retain employees and can be copied by competitors. On the other hand, other two quadrants which are based on non-financial (intangible) or relational cannot be easily imitated and build both human assets and human development advantage in an organisation. These lower two quadrants are essential to boost the worth of the upper two. When organisations integrate both transactional and  relational rewards strategically it empowers the overall effectiveness to achieve business success. The model makes an important difference between individual and communal r ewards precisely in the later case which are result of work situation. Figure 2.0 Model of total rewards by Towers Perrin. As mentioned above that a total rewards concept integrates between financial and non-financial rewards to enhance a reward system, the importance of both considerations is described below: 3.1. Financial rewards: All monetary rewards those are offered in terms of money and are added up in total remuneration are the financial rewards. Base pay, contingent pay for performance, contribution, competency or skill, pay concerning to service, financial appreciation programs, and benefits like pensions, medical pay and health insurance are the core elements. 3.2. Non-financial rewards: Such rewards focus on the relational or intangible rewards those are related to people needs for various recognition, accomplishment, accountability, autonomy, influence and personal development. Such rewards are directly influenced by work environment i.e. quality of work life, the work, work-life balance, recognition, performance management and learning and development for personal growth within the organisation. Non-financial rewards can be extrinsic, such as praise or recognition as well as intrinsic if they are incorporated with job performance and attention and feelings that the work is valuable. 4. Organisational advantages of total rewards In current competitive business environment it must for an organisation to treat their employees with a sense of respect, fairness and ethically. Success of a business lies in the core value of its intellectual and it is necessary to enhance, develop and retain the same to achieve competitive advantage. Kaplan (2005) suggests the following advantages of total rewards strategy: 4.1. Congruency: The aim of total rewards strategy is that all rewards, including financial and non-financial must complement the business goals and strategies. It provides an incorporated, comprehensive sight of rewards to endorse equivalence and effectiveness of plan and implements, in alliance of business and people strategy. 4.2. Road map for HR specialists: An on paper total rewards strategy gives out as a reference guide to human resource managers to develop and compile new programs. An  evaluation helps business executives to get suggestions from HR managers to execute business strategies. 4.3. Competitive edge for recruitment: In order to attract talent a total rewards strategy helps organisation to differentiate it in a competitive talent pool by attaining competitive edge in terms of recruiting people. 4.4. Improved retention: Employment offerings focuses on people value, enhanced commitment and engagement and reduce turnover. They highlight the emotional bond between employee and employer to motivate and retain people. A strategic reward can increase engagement of work force and produce positive results. 4.5. Moderate labour costs: A reward policy may enable an organisation to moderate its labour costs by trading off several segments of employment package. This can promote flexible employ arrangements which would reduce cost of employment. 4.6. Enhanced organisational performance: Within a performance culture, a total rewards strategy can influence employees’ behaviours which lead to organisational success. A total rewards strategy that satisfies the employe e needs increases productivity, employee commitment and engagement. 5. Strategic rewards versus organisation performance An effective reward strategy attracts people, develops human capital, motivates employee, gains employee commitment and at last increases employee’s performance which ultimately results in organisational performance. So far it is covered that a total reward strategy is an important factor in terms of employee recruitment, retention, development of human capital and performance management. It establishes a performance culture and enhances individual performance. Thus total rewards can be directly incorporated to organisation performance though following: 5.1. Motivation: it an element of physiological contract which encourages, directs and energises a sense to perform extra-ordinarily in want of financial or non-financial interests. Hunter et al (1990) researched that high performance is achieved by well-motivated people who are prepared to practice flexible effort. Total rewards those are practical in deciding the several motivators of employees in an organisation are expected to result to increased employee satisfaction and trigger the desired behaviour which would ignite employees to accomplishment of positive goals by taking exact behaviour which are attractive performance. Further research by Namasivayam  et al (2007) through online survey of 1223 US hotels suggested that there is affirmative association between pay and individual benefits and organisational performance. According to Pink (2005) an extrinsic motivation is required in today’s work culture. Employees have a hectic schedule and the only motivation is the needs they have to fulfil which makes a monotonous work-life balance. 5.2. Commitment: Commitment can be considered at an attachment and loyalty that employees have for their company. Mowday et al (1982) there are 3 characteristics of commitment- 1) A strong desire to stay in the organisation, 2) A strong belief in and acceptance of the values and goals of the organisation, 3) A readiness to exert considerable efforts on behalf of the organisation. According to Walton (1985) traditional control-oriented style of employee management should be replaced by a commitment strategy which enables employees to respond best and most creatively. This is possible when they are given higher responsibilities, encouraged and helped to achieve satisfaction from their jobs. 5.3. Engagement: Performance of an organisation also influenced by the employee engagement towards the organisational design to obtain desired results though intellectual assets. Reilly and Brown (2008) suggest that a strategic reward process, including both extrinsic and extrinsic reward combination, may help to develop and increase employee’s engagement. Influence of total rewards strategy on performan ce by engagement can better demonstrated as modelled below in Figure 3.0. Figure 3.0 How reward policies influence performance through engagement. Conclusion Concluding the importance of total rewards strategy in context to individual performance and consequently organisational performance, it is necessary for an organisation to introduce a clear and achievable reward scheme. The reward functions like base pay, benefits, learning and development and work environment must be described in a way those can produce benefits to employees as well as organisation. A successful total rewards strategy is the one which is integrated with business strategies and designed considering each element of rewards in reference to employee needs. It must contain proper balance of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to recruit, employee development, motivate, engaged and committed man power.

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique Left Realism Critique. Left realism emerged as an influential theory during the 1980s. Its drive was partly dissatisfaction with the dominant criminological perspectives of the time and partially attributable to the prevailing political climate. This essay will outline the emergence of left realism as a means of explaining its main principles. The discussion will also engage with the criticisms of left realism and identify the criminological perspectives with which it conflicts. An understanding of left realism cannot be gained without an awareness of the prevailing intellectual, ideological and political context that surrounded its emergence. Therefore, it is important to appreciate the background from which left realism emerged. In the period immediately preceding the genesis of left realism, the most prevalent and influential criminological perspectives were based largely upon Marxist theories based upon notions of utopianism that were increasingly coming to be viewed as irrelevant in light of the political ethos of Margaret Thatchers Britain (Jones: 2001, 245). In particular, left realists were extremely critical of the way that radical criminological theories presented a characterisation of criminals as political catalysts against bourgeois hegemony and therefore to attempt to explain criminal behaviour in terms of it being a revolution against the injustices imposed upon the majority of the population by the ruling classes (Moore, 1991). Radical criminological theory saw crime as a consequence of (real or imagined) economic deprivation and under-privilege. Left realists were opposed to this view which allocated responsibility for crime to the State, which was seen as an instrument of the ruling class designed to consolidate the position of the powerful and promote the interests of the rich and powerful, rather than with the individual offender. Left realists also objected to the characterisation of the offender as the victim of the labelling process; a view which was popular with symbolic interactionists who were providing a popular alternative voice to the radical criminologists during the late 1970s and early 1980s: For over two decades [criminology] has neglected the effect of crime upon the victim and concentrated on the impact of the of the state through the process of labelling on the criminalIt became an advocate for the indefensible: the criminal became the victim, the state the solitary focus of attention, while the real victim remained off-stage (Matthews and Young, 1986: iv). The rejection by left realists of these constructions of the offender demonstrated one of their central beliefs which was that the offender should be not be absolved of responsibility for his actions and that it was not appropriate to cast blame on either the institutional or structural nature of society as was the tendency of the radical and interactionist schools of criminological thought. Rather than concur with this characterisation, left realists saw criminals as well-socialised individuals who exercised conscious and rational choice in deciding to offend and who saw crime as a way of resolving their particular problems. For left realists, the problems that offenders were trying to solve came from the capitalist ideology that was predominant in 1980s society. Left realists saw this capitalism as producing egalitarian notions such as that of political equality and the deterioration of views that each individual had an immutable place in the social hierarchy that was pre-determine d at birth. With these views came feelings of deprivation amongst those who were not possessed of material wealth but who were desirous of the benefits that were enjoyed by other members of society. Left realists felt that these individuals would see criminal enterprise as a way of rectifying this perceived inequality and securing their access to the commodities of capitalist society which they craved (Hopkins Burke, 2005: 220). In this respect, left realism could be seen as promoting a return to traditional Marxist views whereby crime was seen as an individual response (by the offender) to structural inequalities created by those in power in society which actually was a counter-active diversion away from the real problems of the causes of these inequalities that could only be solved by political change. Left realism rejected the post-Marxist radical theories that characterised crime as a revolutionary endeavour. In their seminal work, Lea and Young (1984) depicted criminal behaviour as almost an amplification of capitalist normalcy. In other words, the dominant view in the 1980s was that of capitalistic self-advancement in which individual endeavours were rewarded with material gain. Lea and Young asserted that a significant percentage of criminals shared these beliefs and replicated what had become conventional social values based upon the value of individual (and self-interested) effort in a society based upon competition and motivated by material success. However, criminals did not channel their energy into legitimate pursuits such as the endeavour for advancement in employment or entrepreneurial success, preferring instead to pursue socially acceptable goals through illegitimate avenues (criminal activity). As such, left realism viewed crime as the expression of capitalist values but though non-conventional means. In one respect, left realists agree with radical theorists in that it is common ground that crime is a reaction to an unjust society (Lea and Young, 1984: 45). However, there is also disagreement in that, unlike radical criminologists, left realists do not believe that the criminal should not be blamed for responding by engaging in offending behaviour: Crime is one form of egoistic response to deprivation. Its roots are in justice but its growth often perpetrates injustice (Lea and Young, 1984: 72) This notion of crime as the illegitimate manifestation of capitalist values is one of the central principles of left realism. However, although crime is seen as a self-interested and individual enterprise, left realists also believe that crime is a group response rather than an individual decision. They believe that crime is an inevitable consequence of a social situation in which a particular group feels that it is subject to disadvantage such as in a situation whereby there is a common ideological drive to measure success in material goods but there exist barriers to the attainment of these goals for some members of society. In such a situation, particularly if there appears to be no way of circumventing the obstacles, crime is certain to result. One of the key criticisms that has been levelled against left realist explanations of crime and criminality is that its focus on economic deprivation explains only economic crime but does nothing to account for the other manifestations of offending behaviour that are prevalent in society. Left realism is prepared to counter this criticism by drawing upon strain theory (Merton, 1968) to explain how the exclusion from legitimate economic opportunity may result in financial crime to rectify the situation or violent crime as a vent for frustration at the denial of a seemingly equitable access to benefits and resources. This actually consolidates one of the key principles of left realism in that reliance is placed upon subculture theories to support the argument of left realism that those who are excluded from the benefits of mainstream society develop their own cultures, norms and principles and operate within these. Inevitably, for those excluded from legitimate avenues of enterprise, t his involves criminal behaviour (Young, 1975). One of the central principles of left realism was a conceptualisation of crime that did not take an offender-centred view. Young proposed a square of crime in which the four key components were the offender, the victim, the agencies of formal control (such as the police) and the agencies of informal control (such as other members of society). This was an important tenet of left realism because it challenged a major paradox within radical theories; that of the powerless working-class criminal driven to offending behaviour as a result of the oppression of the privileged classes. Lea and Young examined official crime statistics and victim report surveys (such as the British Crime Survey) and concluded that although members of the working class appear to commit a disproportionate amount of crime, they often target the other members of the working class as their victims. Left realism addressed the issue of the ordinary victim of crime and thus changed the emphasis within criminological th eory and, gradually, within the practices of the criminal justice system. In particular, the square of crime ensured that crime prevention strategies were evolved which took account of the contributions of each of the four factors: To control crime from a realist perspective involves intervention at each part of the square of crime: at the level of the factors which give rise to the putative offender (such as structural unemployment), the informal system (such as lack of public mobilisation), the victim (such as inadequate target hardening) and the formal system (such as ineffective policing) (Young, 1986: 41). This emphasises one of the main principles of left realism; the belief in a joined up approach to tackling the problems of crime. However, this multi-causal approach that takes account of a variety of factors in explaining criminality could be accused of borrowing from a range of sociological explanations of crime, such as strain and control theories, and amalgamating selected aspects of these and giving them a Marxist slant. It seems reasonable to state that there is nothing particularly new in left realism; it is a pragmatic restatement of a number of established criminological principles taken from a particular ideological perspective (Downes and Rock, 2003: 292). However, left realism did become influential in raising awareness of the plight of victims of crime thus negating their invisibility and overcoming their marginalisation. Lea and Youngs studies showed that official statistics gave an incomplete picture of the extent of victimisation and therefore presented an inaccurate impression of the nature and extent of criminal activity. For Lea and Young, victim studies gave a fair more comprehensive and accurate account of victimisation, firstly because they included information about crimes which had occurred but which victims may not have reported to the police and, secondly, because they were capable of analysis on the basis of geographic location thus giving a true impression of the localised nature of much criminal behaviour. One of the other most notable contributions of left realism to criminological theory that emerged from victim surveys is the recognition of fear of crime as a significant social problem that is just as in need of re solution as actual crime . By acknowledging the existence of victims of crime, left realists gave voice to notions of pre-emptive strategies to counteract attempts at criminal behaviour: The organisation of communities in an attempt to pre-empt crime is of the utmost importance (Lea and Young, 1984: 267). This emphasis on the community and its role and importance in combating crime typifies the principles of cohesion and inclusion that characterises left realism. At its core, left realism is seeking for realistic strategies that will have a quantifiable impact upon crime (and fear of crime) within communities, especially amongst the poor and disadvantaged who are the most frequent victims of crime. This has been said to be a central component of contemporary left realism (Matthews and Young, 1992: 2). Notwithstanding this emphasis on the prevention of crime, it is a fundamental principle of left realism that the attainment of justice is more important than controlling crime. As such, the police play a key role in maintaining social control by establishing, maintaining and nurturing good community relations so as not to alienate the populace to whom they should be fully accountable (Kinsey, Lea and Young, 1986). Many of the criticisms levelled against left realists were voiced by the radical theorists of whom the left realists themselves were so critical. For example, Lea and Young criticised radical theorists for their excessive concentration of corporate crime and their marginalisation of real crime that affects ordinary people even though they accept that corporate crime is worse than working-class crime. Radical theorists counter by questioning why Lea and Young are prepared to view working-class crime as more serious merely because it is what ordinary people fear. Surely, it is argued, the actuality of crime is more potent and more serious than the fear of falling victim to a crime that may never occur. Left realists have no effective rejoinder for this criticism, other than to draw attention to the way in which fear of crime can have a real and negative impact upon ordinary members of society, by preventing them from going about their ordinary business, for example, or avoiding particu lar activities or places (Young, 1999). The multi-causal approach of left realism can also be criticised for failing to explain all forms of criminal behaviour. Feminist criminological theorists have also been critical of left realism in its tackling both of female criminal behaviour and of its failure to explain crimes that are traditionally seen as targeting women, such as rape. Just as it could be criticised for failing to provide an adequate explanation of different types of criminal behaviour, left realism can be accused of an overly one-dimensional focus on young, male, working-class criminal behaviour to the detriment of offenders from other socio-demographic backgrounds. Female criminality is largely unaddressed and, moreover, exposes a central weakness in one of the key principles of left realism; the reliance on relative deprivation as an explanation of criminal behaviour. For example, Lea and Young assert that crime results from the exclusion of a particular group from legitimate opportunities for success and material gain. In light of this, it would be expected that female criminality, which was always extremely low, would decrea se even further as women gained greater equality in the workplace as this would ensure that they were less excluded from legitimate avenues of success. However, the converse proved to be true and the greater prominence of women in the workplace was mirrored by a growth in female offending; an outcome that is directly contrary to the explanation of criminal behaviour propounded by left realists (Smart, 1989). Equally, it is difficult to see how left realism can explain sexual crimes against women unless this falls within the same category as violent crimes that are the result of frustration following a failure to achieve legitimate success. This seems an extremely tenuous argument for such complex crimes and, in any case, left realists have tended not to engage with the issue of rape to any great degree thus the explanation remains speculative (Heidensohn, 1985). Overall, it is clear that the emergence of left realism was both a product of the prevailing political climate and a strong influence on the social and political development of more cohesive approaches to crime control and prevention that drew together a range of players in the criminal justice process rather than focusing exclusively on the offender. As a theoretical perspective, it expanded the focus of criminological enquiry and moved beyond the dominant ideology of the 1970s and early 1980s. As such, its contribution to criminological debate cannot be under-estimated. However, it can be criticised as a rather narrowly-focussed theory that fails to provide an adequate explanation of the full gamut of criminal behaviour. It has, however, provided a building block upon which other theories can build a broader and more wide-ranging explanation of criminality. Bibliography Downes, P. and Rock, P., (2003) Understanding Deviance, 4th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press Heidensohn, F., (1985) Women and Crime, London: Routledge Hopkins Burke, R., (2005) An Introduction to Criminological Theory, Cullompton: Willan Jones, S., (2001) Criminology, 2nd ed., London: Butterworths Kinsey, R., Lea, J. and Young, J., (1986) Losing the Fight Against Crime, Oxford: Blackwell Press Lea, J. and Young, J., (1984) What is to be Done About Law and Order, Harmondsworth: Penguin Press Matthews, R. and Young, J., (1992) Issues in Realist Criminology, London: Sage Publications Merton, R., (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure, New York: Free Press Moore, S., (1991) Investigating Crime and Deviance, London: Collins Educational Publishers Smart, C., (1989) Feminism and the Power of the Law, London: Routledge Young, J., Left Realism and the Priorities of Crime Control in Stenson, K. and Cowell, D., (eds.) (1999) The Politics of Crime Control, London: Sage Publishing Young, J., Ten Points of Realism in Matthews, R. and Young, J., (1986) Issues in Realist Criminology, London: Sage Publications Young, J., Working Class Criminology in Taylor, I., Walton, P. and Young, J., (eds.) (1975) Critical Criminology, London: Routledge

Another Ernest Hemingway :: essays research papers

Many of Ernest Hemingway's books have had different meaning and all could be interpreted in different way, but there has never been so much written about his other stories. Well the Old Man and the Sea had more written about it than any of his other novels and there have never been so many different types of interpretations about his other novels. The Old Man and the Sea is a book in which can be interpreted in many different ways. Here you will read what many critics have composed about the story of a great writer, Ernest Hemingway. Many of the critics have the same outlook on the works of Hemingway. Hemingway's work The Old man and the Sea can be looked at in many different perspectives. All the critics believed that his styling of writing was very defined. In 1944 Ernest Hemingway went to Havana, Cuba and it was there he wrote a letter to Maxwell Perkins which states he has a idea on a new novel called The Old Man and the Sea ( Nelson and Jones 139). Hemingway first got his idea for The Old Man and the Sea from the stories that he had heard in the small fish cities in Cuba by a man named Carlos Gutierrez. He had known of this man for about twenty years and the stories of the fighting marlins. It was then that he imagined that man under the two circumstances and came up with the idea. After about twenty years of pondering on the story , he decided that he would start on the novel of The Old Man and the Sea. The story The Old Man and the Sea is about a old man named Santiago who has to over come the great forces of nature. Things seem to always go wrong for him because originally he started out going to fish for some dinner, then he caught the biggest marlin ever and it pulled him out in the bay of Cuba even more then he was. After he was pulled out, he hurt his hands and couldn't risk going to sleep because of the risk of sharks. When the sharks finally attacked he lost the marlin which had become a great part of him because he knew that no one would believe him when he told them the size of the marlin. This has to be one of the most memorable fights in a novel that I have ever seen, but I think that the way he put the novel together was just as good as that of the fight. When he put them together it was then

Report on Telstra Marketing Strategies Essay

AbstractMarketing strategies are the main drives for promoting a company’s products to increase its sales and to build its brand. With regards to competition, a company needs to strengthen their marketing strategies to stay competitive. With the intense competition in the telecommunication industry, marketing is an important element in Telstra to build its presence in the community. This report seeks to analyse Telstra’s marketing strategies and identify critiques help to point out the areas of development for Telstra. IntroductionFormed in 1901, Telstra is Australia’s oldest and largest telecommunication service provider, with a market share of 74.5%. Telstra was partially privatized by the Commonwealth Government in two public offerings in 1997 and 1999. Due to government deregulations September 2002, Telstra has begun to open itself to more competition and the company’s business has turned to be more transparent. Its current principle activities include a wide array of telecommunication and information products and services. As Telstra services a wide demographic of customers, their products are segmented according to different target markets. Market SegmentationUnder the management of its new CEO, Sol Trujillo, Telstra is aimed towards understanding and satisfying its customer needs (Shanahan 2006). New market research is to be conducted to satisfy different customer segments who had demonstrated different needs from the broader telecommunications industry. He mentions that, ‘when the market research had been completed, Telstra would have interviewed over 90,000 consumer customers and created a small business ‘panel’ of 16,000 businesses’. This thorough market research is being conducted as it was shown that there is a reducing market in the mobile segment (Corner, 2006). Marketing Strategy AnalysisAs Telstra is involved in the telecommunications and information services industry, the marketing strategies will be divided and analysed according to their respective industries. Telecommunication IndustryProductTelstra provides various products and services in the telecommunications industry. Among them are landlines, mobile phones and the internet. LandlinesTelstra owns and manages most public switched telephone network (PSTN) services. Most of Telstra’s revenues are generated from fixed-line services. However, its revenue from its fixed-line services has been declining due to the reduced number of local calls made. Among the fixed line products and services offered by Telstra are the business line plans, fixed and rental phones. Mobile PhonesTelstra has two core services in mobile phone communication – post-paid and pre-paid mobile phone plans. The company provides products such as mobile phones. As these mobile phone sales are a relatively small part of the total revenue these phones are to be viewed as a means to sell more plans. As Telstra emphasises on providing the latest technology in the industry, it has recently introduced its Next G network, which claims to be the largest, fastest mobile broadband network. Their mobile phone plans work as a base for beneficial segmentation. The casual plan allows for more flexibility for change, while the phone plans offers the added benefit of including a handset. InternetTelstra has a wide variety of Internet services, which is offered to a wide demographic of customers. Among the products offered are: dial-up, cable internet, ADSL, wireless, and satellite. Telstra brands its Internet service as Bigpond. With Bigpond Broadband, the internet is provided at a blisteringly fast speed. For more traditional Internet services, Telstra also offers dial-up and ISDN services. With these services, Telstra has segmented each service through pre-paid and business group plans. Its ISDN service is targeted to people with limited broadband availability. CritiquesTelstra seeks to increase its customer experience and satisfaction through reward programs and product bundling. Telstra has designed telecommunication plans that offer more options, value and control to meet the customer’s needs. One such example is that it offers the latest fixed phones that take some of the best features from mobile phones, such as address book and caller ID. Through product bundling, Telstra is able to package a combination of these services into one large offering and single bill service, which makes its mobile products more attractive for consumers. Although Telstra boasts on having a stable and reliable internet connection, its internet speed has been observed to perform poorly. According to ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel, â€Å"Telstra’s competitors have been offering ADSL2+ since 2005, but until now Telstra’s fastest DSL offering was a mere 1.5 megabits per second (mbps)†. It’s reluctance to switch to ADSL2+ has been based on the fear that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would â€Å"declare† it, thereby giving competitors access to ADSL2+ at controlled prices (Barker, 2006). Telstra does not use much of traditional advertising for fixed-line products and services such as billboards, banners and digital banners, but rather it spends most of its advertising on new products and services such as BigPond Broadband and the Next G network. This is made possible as Telstra monopolizes the landlines in Australia, and people would still use its fixed-line products and services. Telstra should continue doing this and to continue to spend more in marketing its new products and services to meet the demand of the emerging market. Given this, Telstra is gaining the demands for both its fixed-line and new products and services. PriceTelstra is focused on product line pricing, where products within the same product range are priced differently, depending on its features and benefits. This price discrimination is to assist Telstra in maximising their turnover and profit. LandlinesBusiness line plans are priced at $99.90 per month (including monthly Line Rental), where the customer can get unlimited local and STD calls and valued rates on calls to mobiles. For fixed home phones, the price ranges from $60 to $500. The average pricing for rental phones includes the provisioning fee of $20 plus $3.00 per month for rental. Mobile PhonesTelstra’s mobile services are priced according to mobile phone plans, with the model of the phone being the main determinant of their price, where the greater the features of the phone, the dearer the price. As Telstra is by large a service oriented company, they emphasise on communicating more on the benefits of their services, such as covering most parts of Australia and its supplementary services and network stability. InternetThe Bigpond Internet is priced according to the type of infrastructure used. For example, it’s prepaid dial-up lines have a fee range of $2 to $19.95 for a validity of up to 45 days, while their wireless service price ranges from $29.95 to $199.95 on a 12 month contract. CritiquesA comparison of the pricing component of Telstra’s marketing strategy with offerings from competitors such as Virgin and Optus reveals that Telstra does not always have the lowest rates. For example, Optus offers a cable connection of 20GB for $79.95, where as Telstra offers it for $99.95. Comparing the plans Optus has a better price in almost every internet product than Telstra. In addition to that, Optus provides free initial time for one or two months on a variety of their internet connections which lacks in Telstra. Telstra also has a slow internet speed compared to Optus. From Telstra’s mobile plans, its 24 month long phone plans provide the lowest call rates out of Telstra’s offerings while the two shorter member- and casual plans have more expensive call rates. Due to its wide network coverage, Telstra emphasizes on this feature, rather than pushing their price as their primary selling point. On the other hand, the company is trying to attract price conscious consumers with its money back promotion for pre-paid mobile plans. In mid-July 2005, Telstra launched a major advertising campaign, where they promote the benefit of gaining credit for doing nothing but talk. Customers can gain up to an extra $50 in call credit each month, 5 cent extra for each incoming minute and 1 cent extra for every outgoing minute. This promotion campaigns are created to outdo the competition from Optus and Vodafone. They engaged in price war in order to offer the best options. Here, customers are  benefiting from lower prices, but unfortunately it is not likewise for these companies. Here, the government’s implementation of the ceiling and floor price for telecommunications regulation is significant to avoid further price war. PlaceTelstra’s telecommunications products and services are widely available throughout Australia. Telstra has 115 owned Telstra branded stores and 153 licensed shops, with two of its largest licensors being the mobile phone chain Crazy John’s and Australia Post. In addition, the company also has a compelling web presence with a complete online shop for the purchasing of mobile phone plans, pre-paid refills, handsets and supplementary services such as ring tones and games. Telstra boasts of a strong internet presence, with its network covering almost 98% of the population, providing internet service to even the remotest area in Australia. CritiquesTelstra shops and dealers are strategically located across Australia. It attends to the need of the people in their respective area. Apart from its own dealers and shops, it also has Crazy John as its exclusive mobile phone dealers which are very reputable and successful dealers. Telstra definitely has the edge over its competitors in terms of numbers and locations. PromotionTelstra promotes its products through media, out-of home billboards and also through their in-store value-added product offerings. For example, the promotion of the Bigpond is done in variety of ways, such as using humor and celebrities through their advertisements and electronic billboards in train stations, advertisements on trams, and also on their website. Telstra also promotes their products and services through providing value-added components to attract customers and promote customer loyalty. For example, Telstra uses loyalty programs such as ‘Telstra Rewards’ for landlines. This loyalty program entitles eligible customers to receive a 5% or 10% discount off eligible calls and charges. It is also observed that product bundling is commonly used in Telstra as a means of attracting customers to sign up for their products and services at a cheaper price. For example, product bundling is targeted to families, where families are given the option of combining their Telstra bills at a cheaper price. Telstra also provides discounted Bluetooth headsets with selected fixed phones in its product offering. Telstra promotes heavily on its mobile phone offering through service improvements, such as covering 96 percent of Australia with its GSM network and 98 percent with its CDMA network. CritiquesTelstra is one of the country’s largest investor in out-of-home advertising, spending more than $A9 million during the first six months of 2005. Despite being one of the largest spenders on advertising, Telstra has to be wary of Optus, its close competitor in fixed-line service. Although revenue from its fixed-line services have been declining due to the increased dependence of mobile phones and the internet, little has been done to promote Telstra’s fixed line services. Again this is because more emphasize is being put into promoting its new products and services, and also the fact that fixed-line is declining in demand. Telstra billboards were located in the heart of the cities and traffic for people’s easy access. PeoplePeople are greatest asset for Telstra. In selling and marketing, Telstra aims to attract the best people by keeping them contented and encouraging them to grow and improve. Telstra develops their staff through a sophisticated development framework, including online development courses, frontline manager and leadership programs, and a comprehensive range of options that develop technical and interpersonal skills. Telstra strives to build a culture that respects and harnesses the individual differences that all people bring to an organization. Through the Telstra Business Principles and the Code of Conduct standards of appropriate business and ethical behaviors are valued and expected from all employees. CritiquesThrough mystery shopping and observation, the sales staffs are good at communicating. They are knowledgeable about the products and services featured. Telstra has a diversity of staff consisting from various non-English speaking backgrounds. This portrays Telstra’s success in maintaining its image as a company that values diverse workforce in order to  meet the customers’ needs. ProcessThe process of applying for Telstra’s telecommunication products and services are relatively easy, where customers can go through Telstra shops and dealers and also through the Internet. The process involves interacting with Telstra’s sales team and providing relevant documents when applying for their products. However, the mystery shopping revealed that the processes of the new users’ application for the latest technology next G network took a longer time to be completed which is due to unfamiliarity with the new product. Physical EvidenceProducts such as telephones, mobile phones and Internet hardware such as modems and routers are provided by Telstra. These products are often offered as value-added components to their service for customers when signing up with Telstra. Being a large establishment in this industry, Telstra has a strong 24 hour customer support, which provides assurance to consumers that Telstra are reliable. 2.Information servicesBeing a telecommunications provider, Telstra complements this service with a directory service, through Yellow Pages, White Pages and the Trading Post. Due to the increasing dependence on the internet, Telstra has designed Sensis as a search engine to bring together listed businesses in the directory under one umbrella. Product/ServiceTelstra’s information services operate under the brand name Sensis. Sensis is designed as a search engine for Australians, bringing together businesses listed in the Yellow Pages, White Pages and Trading Post under one search engine. It acts as a platform that brings together businesses and customers. Sensis has a large network partner, which includes some of Australia’s more popular websites, such as CitySearch and Whereis. CritiquesSensis should be commended on trying to build a reliable circle of trust through their partner networks. With these alliances, Sensis is able to build up its brand through popular websites and establish a high standard  of reliability. PriceSensis has its own unique pricing strategy, with BidSmart, which acts as a method that determines the priority of each business listed in a particular search. A company/business with a higher bid for listing in sensis.com.au will appear first compared to other businesses that have a lower bid with the same search phrase. At the end of the month, the price paid by each business is determined according to the number of ‘hits’ the websites get from search traffics. CritiquesThis pricing strategy is suitable for Sensis. Being a pioneer in providing directory services through the Internet, Sensis is able to create value for its advertisers, by allowing them to pay according to the number of ‘hits’ obtained. This is a good establishment for Sensis as it is able to attract more businesses to advertise with them without burdening the businesses with a fixed price as they continue to build the Sensis brand to attract more searches. PlaceSensis is available on the internet and is linked with their network partners. Recent collaborations with carshowroom.com.au are aimed to increase its recognition and customer traffic through the website. CritiquesTransferring Yellow Pages and White Pages to the internet under Sensis is a good move as people are now depending on the internet for faster information. In addition to that, people are not burdened with the hassle of the printed version of these two directories which are bulky and time-consuming when searching for information. PromotionSensis promotes itself by collaborating with websites such as carshowroom.com.au to increase its presence in the marketplace. Sensis’ public relations have also helped gain recognition through press releases and conferences. In addition, Sensis has published a book, Small Business, Big Opportunity and a new website for small businesses to aid Australian businesses to optimize their marketing and advertising skills. CritiquesAlthough Sensis does not focus on marketing through billboards and media advertisements, their logo can be found on Telstra websites and also on their partner network websites that aims to provide a level of interaction between their partners and Sensis. PeopleSensis is recognized as one of Australia’s leading employers, who strongly encourage an environment of learning, innovation and enjoyable. Behind these employees is a strong support system – its board of directors and executive team leaders who overlook the direction of the business. CritiquesThrough a phone interview enquiring Sensis’ service, the customer service staff was knowledgeable regarding the processes required to sign up for their services and was also friendly and helpful in providing advice on how to advertise on Sensis. ProcessThe process of signing up to advertise on Sensis is relatively straightforward with a step-by-step process. Businesses/advertisers would need to register with Sensis before submitting their advertisement to the Sensis search engine. These clients are given the option of choosing among 3 advertising packages to aid in their advertisement presentation. Other websites can form partnerships with Sensis through inserting a Sensis link onto their website. This can be done by downloading a program which integrates the link onto the website. CritiquesThis strategy is good as it provides a level of flexibility and control for clients. With the three types of packages, Sensis is able to attract a wider demographic of businesses to advertise with them as they will be able to address different business needs. Physical EvidenceSensis is available on the Internet, with approximately 100,000 searches per day. According to statistics, Sensis serves almost 13 million users every month and about 150,000 online advertising customers advertise with Sensis. CritiquesAlthough Telstra aims to make Sensis one of Australia’s premier  search engine, many people are unaware of the existence of Sensis as it has only been advertised through the Telstra website and their partner network search engines. Consumers are not aware of the significance of the Sensis logo on these websites, hence decreasing internet hits. Market research shows that Sensis is the 5th visited local search engine in Australia, with 0.39% market share. Although launched in 2004, Sensis has yet to make a big impact in the Australian internet scene. Due to the transition of White Pages onto Sensis, search engine results have been quite inaccurate, affecting its reliability and popularity (Jones, 2006). ConclusionAs the report progresses with the information about Telstra’s main products and services under two main industries; 1) Telecommunication industry and 2) Information services, Telstra’s marketing strategies are being critiqued using the marketing tool, the 7 P’s framework. In the telecommunication industry, Telstra’s marketing is more on media, billboards and value-added components. Also, it engages more in promoting its new products and services to capture the emerging market. Also, Sensis has helped Telstra to increase customer usage of the directory, thus the Telstra website which leads to a comprehensive information. In essence, the marketing strategies in its telecommunication industry is currently in good practice but its information service needs further promotion to create more reliability and data accurateness. References Barker G. 2006, Telco finally gets on ADSL2+ bandwagon, The Age, viewed 11 December 2006, Corner S. 2006, Telstra’s grand plan to know and serve its customers, ITWIRE, viewed 13 January 2007, Jones M. 2006, Sensis revs engine but Google still rules, Australian Financial Review, viewed 2 January 2007, Government Introduces Laws to Boost Telstra Competition, The Age.com.au, 26 September 2002, viewed on 20 December 2006,Optus, viewed 9 January 2007 Shanahan J. 2006, Consumer-centricity: An idea whose Time Has Come, Australian Marketing Institute, viewed on 5 December 2006, Sensis, viewed 10 January 2007, Telstra, viewed 9 January 2007